Strongman, a Kitchener-raised blues artist who lives in Hamilton, received his first Juno nod after winning three Maple Blues Awards this spring.

He is a finalist in the Blues Album of the Year category for A Natural Fact, his first acoustic album produced by his longtime friend and Kitchener-raised singer-songwriter and producer Rob Szabo.

Michel divides his time between Canada and Belize, where he has taken to the culture, the climate, the people and the music of the Central American country.

He is a finalist in the World Music Album of the Year category for his 10th album Black Birds Are Dancing Over Me.

Bieber, whose controversial private life continues to keep him in hot water, is a finalist in three categories including Juno Fan Choice Award, Album of the Year and Pop Album of Year for Believe.

Conducted by Noel Edison, the Elora Festival Singers has been nominated in the Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance for I Saw Eternity. The album of sacred music contains works by composers with ties to Waterloo Region, including Leonard Enns, Timothy Corlis and Glenn Buhr.